The present invention relates to steel traps, and more particularly, to accessories which facilitate the setting of such traps and also the efficient operation thereof. During the setting of traps, particularly those that are set on land, it is essential that the trap be bedded into the ground and that it be concealed so that the trap and surrounding area appear natural. When bedding a trap into the ground, a cavity or bed is prepared having such dimensions that the uppermost parts of a trap inserted therein are located about 0.25 inch beneath the surface of the soil. Thereafter, the trap is covered with dirt or kindred material.
Various adverse effects can occur because of the placement of the trap in the aforementioned trap bed cavity. After a trap has been placed in a cavity which has been prepared in the ground, soil is placed around the outside portions of the trap to prevent trap wobble. That is to say, the trap must have enough stability that it does not wobble when an animal steps on one of the open jaws. This packed soil can lead to certain disadvantages. It can prevent the jaws from closing at optimal speed. This situation becomes worsened when the trap is rained upon. The rain water turns the soil packed adjacent to the trap into a mud which can stick to trap parts, thereby causing the jaws to close much more slowly or not at all. The jaws can also stick to soil which has heaved or expanded during freezing weather.
After trap operation has been hindered by adverse conditions such as rain or freezing weather, the trap must be remade in order to again function properly. Any mud or soil which has collected on the trap must be removed. Even an experienced trapper requires a minute or two to repair the bed and again pack soil around the trap and cover it with natural material in order to conceal the trap. Each time it rains hard enough for trap operation to be impaired as explained above, the trap must be removed and cleaned, the cavity must be repaired, and the trap must again be bedded and concealed.
Even under good weather conditions, the placement of a trap into a bed or cavity in the ground can impair proper operation of the trap. During the closing of the trap jaws, the movement of various trap parts such as the springs and the spring levers has a tendency to lift the trap off the ground. Such upward movement of the trap is advantageous in that it can cause the jaws to engage a higher region of the animal's leg, and thus reduce the probability of the animal freeing itself. However, the upward springing of the trap is hindered by bedding it directly in the ground, with the result that there is little upward movement of a sprung trap, if any, when it is bedded in the ground.
Various animal traps, which have been designed specifically for recessed placement within the earth, are provided with an integral frame whereby the working parts of the trap do not come into contact with the earth. U.S. Pat. No. 1,889,351 teaches a trap, the working parts of which are located within a semi-spherical housing. A housing having such a shape is said to turn or pivot under the influence of a trapped animal, thus reducing the possibility of the animal inflicting injury upon itself. U.S. Pat. No. 2,506,834 teaches a trap having a rectangular frame which is open at its top and bottom. The trap housings of both of these patents are buried when set so that rain or freezing weather can cause the surrounding earth to adhere to the housing. If the housing adheres strongly enough to the earth, there is a possibility that the animal can use leverage from its three free legs to pull itself free. Also, if the trap housing is securely retained within the earth, the trap will lose the ability to spring upwardly when snapped. As mentioned previously, this can prevent the jaws from gripping a higher region of the animal's leg.